To Edmé Jacques Genet

[dateline] Paris Hotel de Valois Rue de Richelieu Feb. 24. 1780

[salute] Dear Sir

I have received the Letter, that you did me the Honour to write me the 20th. of this
Month.

I was cautious of troubling the Minister, with an Application directly to him upon
a Subject like that of my Letter to you: but I thank you, for the Trouble you have
taken in laying it, before him. The kind { 362 } Expressions of his Excellencies Confidence, and his Readiness to receive any Applications
directly from me, do me great Honour, and I shall not fail of paying my Respects to
him upon proper Occasions.

I am happy to have his Excellencies Authority, to counteract, the delusive Artifices
of our Enemies: and he may be equally assured that the Reports of Advances made by
the Americans, towards an Arrangement with the English are equally groundless.

I hope to have soon the Honour of paying my Respects to you at Versailles. In the
mean Time, I have a favour to request of you, which is your Assistance in procuring,
some News Papers from England. I am told Dr. Franklin, and other Americans here have
been under Obligations to you for procuring them by the Way of Ostend, and that they
pay for them to the Post Master at Ostend. You are better acquainted with the Character
and Merit of the English Papers than We are. We should be much obliged to you therefore,
if you would give orders for two setts of Papers, one for Mr. Dana and one for me:
one on the Court side of the Question and the other on the Country Side. Papers which
commonly contain the best Intelligence.

We will pay the Expence whenever and to whomsoever you direct. And We shall be very
glad to pay for your sending them to Us, in the same manner you did to Mr. Izard.
I have the Honour to be with great Esteem and Respect, sir your most obedient and
most humble servant.

LbC (Adams Papers); directed to: “Monsieur Genet Premier Comis de Affaires etrangeres, Rue Royal a
Versailles.” The text is taken from the Letterbook copy because the RC (J. G. Turner, Los Angeles, 1958) exists only as a fragment, with extensive fire
damage and the signature cut out.

Docno: ADMS-06-08-02-0238

Author: Vergennes, Charles Gravier, Comte de

Recipient: Adams, John

Date: 1780-02-24

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From the Comte de Vergennes

Replying to John Adams' letter of 19 Feb. (calendared above), Vergennes noted that Adams' account of his commissions agreed
with that of Conrad Alexander Gérard and that the most important aspect of his mission,
the negotiation of a peace treaty, would be announced in the Gazette de France. Adams might also publicize the peace commission in the Dutch papers, but should first
send Vergennes a copy of any such article. Regarding Adams' commission to negotiate
an Anglo-American commercial treaty, Vergennes advised him not to disclose it to anyone
and in particular to do everything possible to prevent the British ministry from learning
of it. Finally, Vergennes declared that since he was certain that Adams' instructions
were in conformity with the Franco-American treaties, there was no need for him to
see them.

Years later Adams analyzed Vergennes' motives for offering him the { 363 } advice in this letter. He noted that although he had seen no reason “for concealing
one of my Commissions more than the other,” he had thought it prudent to follow Vergennes'
counsel. He believed, however, that the letter was early evidence of Vergennes' determination
to have the commission to negotiate a commercial treaty annulled. According to Adams,
Vergennes' success in that undertaking indicated that it was France's policy “to keep
Us embroiled with England as much and as long as possible, even after a Peace” (same,
4:252–253).